Republic of Korea War Service Medal Available and Now Authorized for Wear on US Uniforms

This medal was initially proposed by
the South Korean government in 1951
to honor all United Nations troops who
battled the communist aggressors during the Korean War.
After 48 years, the medal was finally approved by the
Department of Defense.

During the Korean War,the U.S.
disallowed the wearing of Korean War
Service Medal, because regulations at
the time prevented American service
members from wearing any foreign
award. However, Congress changed
this law in 1954. On the occasion of
the 50th Anniversary, the Republic of
Korea once again offered the medal.

The Secretary of Defense appointed
the Air Force as the lead agent to distribute the medal.
The Air Force Personnel Center processes the requests
and distributes the medals to all Korean War Veterans who qualify,
regardless of their branch of service.

The Air Force Personnel Center
processes medal requests on a first
come first serve basis.The AFPC advises that the processing and shipment
of medals may take up to six months
due to the high volume of requests.

The medal is free to veterans who
meet the criteria. Do not confuse it with
other commemoration medallions for
sale by for-profit organizations.

U.S.military personnel must have:
-served between the outbreak of hostilities, June 25,1950, and the date the
armistice was signed,July 27,1953;
-been on permanent assignment or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days, and
-performed their duty within the territorial limits of Korea, in the waters immediately adjacent thereto or in aerial
flight over Korea participating in actual combat operations or in support of
combat operations.

Only the ROK-provided medal is
approved for wear on the military uniform. Because the order of precedence
for non-U.S.service medals and ribbons is determined by date of approval,
the ROKWSM should be worn after
the Kuwait Liberation Medal, which
was the last foreign medal approved for
wear by U.S.military personnel.

To apply, veterans should send a
copy of their discharge paper "DD-
214" and current mailing address to: